20 Great Video Game Franchises That Became UNPLAYABLE
9. Dead Rising
Dead Rising helped revitalise the zombie genre in gaming, offering players an open-world mall to explore, a unique time-based narrative, and a weapon-crafting system that encouraged chaotic experimentation, often with hilarious results. Its combination of humour, player freedom, and inventive ghoul-slaying mechanics set it apart from other undead games.
As such, it's a pity to see subsequent Dead Rising entries ruin these strengths. Though the second and third instalment expanded environments and added new characters, they were compromised by janky mechanics, repetitive missions, and excessive collectibles.
Dead Rising 4 marked the franchise’s rock-bottom, removing the time-limit system entirely, resulting in a less challenging and gripping experience. Due to the poorly optimised AI and grindy side-quests, the gameplay felt like a chore. Looking back, it's sad to see the smartly written satire descend into a shadow of its former self.
Although a sequel was planned in 2018, Capcom pulled the plug, causing Dead Rising to remain in limbo for years. The 2024 remaster of the first game was welcome, but there's no indication a new Dead Rising is arriving soon. For this reason, the once-adored series may fittingly be dead.